Purchase

Purchase any shade of soft-to-the-touch, baby-friendly purple yarn from your local yarn shop or craft store! Other colors of yarn can also be used in your cap, but be sure that the cap is at least 50% purple in color.

Parents select their favorite hat from the dozens that are on display in their birth centers. The most popular hats have common characteristics. These guidelines will increase the likelihood of YOUR hat going home with a family.

YARN: Hats that are either KNITTED or CROCHETED will need to be made with new, clean,SOFT-TO-THE-TOUCH and WASHABLE yarn.

“VALUE” yarns are sometimes scratchy and tend not to be selected by new parents. Test softness on your cheek if you’re unsure!

SIZE: Of the THOUSANDS of beautifully hand crafted PURPLE caps that are donated each year, many hundreds cannot be used because the size is either too big or too small. These hats will be worn by 1 or 2 day old infants. The average newborn head circumference is 14” (13”– 15”) and hats should be approximately 6“ high. For further sizing instructions, please check our SIZING GUIDELINES.

COLOR: Hats NEED to be 50% or more of any shade of PURPLE (for the Period of PURPLE Crying).Please help us meet families' requests for more "BOY-FRIENDLY" hats by considering patterns with darker purples, and stripes of blue, orange, or gray.

STYLE: Please use EITHER: all Gender-Neutral (Unisex) styles and colors OR: an equal number of Girl-Friendly and Boy-Friendly styles and colors.

WARMTH: These hats keep babies’ heads warm outdoors during the colder winter months. Smaller stitches result in a warmer hat. The large, loose stitches (typically made by looms) tend not to provide enough warmth.

LOOMS: This type of knitting is allowed, but should be used with caution. Please ensure that the caps are not too LOOSE or too TIGHT for a comfortable fit around the baby’s head.